On May 14, 1829, the Mercury, an 18-gun brig of the Russian Empire's Black Sea Fleet, engaged in battle with two Ottoman ships of the line
Damage sustained by the brig in battle
On May 19, 1829, the Mercury, an 18-gun brig of the Russian Empire's Black Sea Fleet, engaged in battle with two Ottoman ships of the line. The Mercury was built in Sevastopol in 1820, carrying 18 24-pounder carronades and 2 8-pounder guns, with a crew of 115 men.
In May 1829, three Russian ships—the 44-gun frigate Standart, the 20-gun brig Orpheus, and the 20-gun brig Mercury—were cruising near the exit of the Bosphorus Strait. On May 14, an Ottoman squadron of 6 ships of the line, 2 frigates, and 2 sloops appeared. A chase ensued, and the Standart raised the signal: "Each vessel to choose the course on which it has its best speed." The Mercury fell behind, and two Ottoman ships were able to catch up.
It must be said right away that completely reconstructing the events of that day is currently an impossible task. Very little is known from the Ottoman side; there is only a mention that the Turks pursued and unsuccessfully fired upon the brig. From the Russian side, we have Captain Kazarsky’s report and a damage report of the brig with a diagram. Due to the lack of clarity from the Turkish side, we do not even know exactly which ships opposed the brig—one was identified as the 110-gun Selimiye (it was indeed part of the Turkish squadron and, apparently, truly participated in the battle), while the second was identified as the 74-gun Real-bei. This is a problem, as no such ship exists in the Turkish fleet lists. Which ship Kazarsky actually had in mind remains unknown.
Nevertheless, let us continue. The Ottoman ships were overtaking the brig, which was attempting to escape using oars, and had already begun firing their bow chasers.
A council of officers was gathered on board the brig. It is unlikely that any of them doubted that accepting battle would be the brig's last. As Kazarsky writes in his report to the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Greig, Navigator Corps Lieutenant Prokofiev was asked to speak first. He proposed: "To blow up the brig when it is driven to the extreme." Kazarsky continues: "As a result of this opinion, adopted unanimously by all, it was decided to defend ourselves to the last possibility, and if the masts and rigging are shot away or a major leak opens, then to grapple with the nearest enemy ship, and whichever officer remains alive must ignite the powder magazine, for which a pistol was placed upon the capstan."
The brig maneuvered, preventing the ships of the line from firing a broadside while returning fire, attempting to damage their rigging. The shelling yielded results—in his report, Kazarsky writes that first, the 110-gun ship’s water-stay was shot through and its main rigging was damaged, after which the ship hauled to the wind and lay-to, ending the pursuit. Then, according to Kazarsky, the second ship’s fore-yard was shot down, and the sail covered the ports of the bow guns. The chase was called off, and the Mercury escaped. As a result of the battle, the Mercury sustained 22 hits to the hull, 133 holes in the sails, 16 instances of damage to the masts and spars, and 148 to the rigging. One carronade was damaged, and all rowing boats were destroyed. 4 people were killed and 6 wounded, including the captain.
The case is, without a doubt, interesting. In the official Russian version, everything sounds much more definitive and victorious, but I have tried to express a more neutral point of view. To be honest, I doubt that the Selimiye actually stopped the pursuit due to rigging damage—the distance was likely at least 400 meters, and Kazarsky could easily have seen what he wanted to see. However, I am more inclined to believe in the downed yard on the 74-gun ship—lucky shots do happen, and Kazarsky could hardly have mistaken a falling fore-yard for something else. The massive number of holes in the Mercury raises questions for me, but is likely explained by the Turks using heavy grapeshot. In any case, it is a unique instance—a brig gave battle to ships of the line, was fired upon by them, and survived, while its opponents failed to achieve their goal. This event reminds me very much of the battle between the Sophie and French ships of the line from the book Master and Commander. Only this time, Kazarsky proved luckier than Captain Aubrey. And, of course, this story brings to mind the Greek brig Ares, which became famous around the same time
Interestingly, the brig received its name from the naval sloop Mercury (purchased in England; commander—Robert Crown, a British subject in Russian service), which during the Russo-Swedish War of 1788–1790 captured the Swedish 44-gun frigate Venus.